December 14, 2022

How Color Tattoos Work

Origins of Colored Tattoos

How did color tattoos come into existence? Tattooing is believed to be an ancient artform, dating all the way back to the Bronze Age. A caveman, nicknamed Otzi the Iceman, had roughly 61 tattoos. He was dating back to 3300 BCE. After discovering fire, cavemen soon made the mixture of soot and water. This mixture became a pigment which was used for an array of artforms such as cave paintings – and eventually tattoos.

The earliest examples of colored tattoos are widely believed to be from Ancient Egypt, primarily found on women. There is some confusion, however, if these tattoos marked lower class women, such as prostitutes, or rather used as therapeutic roles during pregnancy. Nonetheless, these tattoos mark the first recorded history of colored tattoos.

As an artform, colored tattoos rose in popularity in Japan in the 17th century. At this time, tattoos were no longer a punishment, but an artform. To this day, Japanese tattoos are still using bright and bold colors. Alternatively, the US and UK didn’t start using color regularly until the end of the 19th century.

Color Tattoos Today

Tattoo artists went to great lengths to find colored pigments to use in skin. In some cases, artists would pose as fake companies looking for pigments for signage or toys. They’d write to chemical companies requesting pigments under fake pretenses to obtain ink. The general consensus is that red pigments became available first, then green followed by browns and yellows. As advancements in pigments have been made, there are now thousands of safe, easier to use colors available to tattoo artists around the world. These advancements allow for cruelty free and vegan options and have minimized the risk of allergic reactions while extending the colors life.

How Do Color Tattoos Function?

Colored pigments do not suit every style of tattooing out there, nor does it always support tattoos of smaller sizes. Colors can blend over time as the ink in your skin naturally spreads. This can make the appearance of the colors muddy. Because of this, its recommended color tattoos be big enough to allow each color to have its own space on the skin. The space in the tattoo will allow the colors to breathe and allow individual colors to stand out against each other. Even still, color tattoos require lots of touch ups to keep them vibrant and bold as you age.

Keep in mind, when your tattoo heals, the colors will appear differently. There will be less vibrance then the day you got the tattoo. Not every color in the ink wheel stands the test of time. Colors that are vibrant as well as pastels have a tendency to fade faster.

Nightmare Before Christmas Sleeve by Cesar Perez

What are the Best Areas for Colored Tattoos?

Not every section of your body supports colored tattoos. Because of aging, our bodies fluctuate and are constantly changing. Weight gain and loss affect our skin and can change the appearance of our tattoos – sometimes warping the designs. Spots which are the most affected by this are the arms, thighs and abdomen. Some areas of the body, such as hands and feet, have thinner skin. These areas tend to fade very quickly due to every-day friction and use. Areas exposed to direct sunlight will also experience quicker fading as the UVA rays break down the ink within your skin.

With that said, there are areas that are less prone to these attributes of aging and sunlight exposure. Typically, areas with tight or thick skin that don’t loosen over time is best for colored tattoos. Shoulders, calves, and ankles are among the spots which are not tremendously changed by the aging process. Our back, in particular, is a great spot for colored pieces. This is because the area is not greatly affected by aging, weight fluctuations, nor is it typically exposed to direct sunlight on a daily basis. In addition, our back allows for bigger pieces, giving the colored ink space to breathe and exist. Other areas, such as the collarbones and upper chest, are great for color for similar reasons. These spots are typically covered and protected from the UVA rays. Furthermore, they are unlikely to stretch over time. These are all options for long lasting-colored tattoos.

How does Skin Tone Affect Tattoo Color?

There are many styles that gravitate towards bright, bold, rich colors – but what looks best on your skin tone? Colors are greatly affected by the color of our skin. There is some level of transparency when applying ink to the skin. And often, color appearance is affected by its surrounding colors. It’s true that dark and bold colors hold up well over time, but what if you have interest in a tattoo with a variety of yellows? If, for example, you have a particularly dark skin tone, it’s unlikely the yellow will be highly visible and would fade very quickly. In addition, if you have fair skin with cool undertones, yellow does not always look very attractive – sometimes appearing scar-like when inked into your skin. This is because everyone has different undertones which sometimes competes with the ink and the undertones affects the appearance of the color.

So, what are the best colors for each skin tone?

Skin Tones:

Pale Skin
Pale skin supports a wide variety of ink colors – typically most colors suit this skin type.
Fair Skin
Similar to pale skin, this skin tone supports nearly all colors. Yellow in particular, is unflattering on this range of skin tones. It can sometimes have a scar-like appearance when healed.
Medium Skin
With medium skin tones blues, reds, purples and ranges of blacks are most suitable. Orange is often difficult to see on medium skin. Green and white are most ideal accent colors in this range.
Dark Skin
When tattooing darker skin, its best to always have an outline and border that’s bold and black. Red and black inks are ideal of this tone, as anything lighter will be difficult to read and will fade very quickly.

Undertones:

Warm Undertones
Warm undertones have a yellow, peachy, or golden complexion, and green veins. For skin tones with this undertone, one should gravitate towards dark greens, dark blues, reds and cooler purples.
Cool Undertones
Cool undertones have blue or pink complexions with blue colored veins. This skin type supports most colors – minus yellow. Colors such as red, orange, white, and purple will look bold and flattering against the skin.

Its possible you may have a neutral undertone. In which case, most inks will live happily on your skin type. But every person is different, and the combination between skin tones and undertones is not cut dry. It’s important to have a tattoo artist who specializes in color. They will understand skin tones and undertones and will make the best determination of which colors will look good on an individual.